Daily Times

KARACHI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nabi Gul unbeaten century led his side to a five-wicket win over Southern Punjab in the fifth-round match of the Cricket Associations Challenge in Karachi on Sunday. In the other two matches, Sindh defeated Northern by 92 runs, while Central Punjab overcame Balochistan by two wickets. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Southern Punjab: At the TMC Cricket Ground, after being put into bat, Southern Punjab scored 331 for eight in 50 overs. Waqar Hussain scored 130 off 128 balls and struck 14 fours. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Irfanullah Shah bagged three wickets for 65 runs. In the run-chase, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nabi Gul struck an unbeaten 101 off 107 balls to help his side achieve the target in the 49th over with five wickets in hand. Nabi’s innings included two fours and four sixes. Opening batter Israrullah (82, 75b, 8×4, 1×6) and Rehan Afridi (59, 55b, 5×4) scored half-centuries. Faisal Akram picked three wickets for 54 for the losing team.

Sindh v Northern: At the KCCA Stadium, Sindh opting to bat first scored 267 for eight in 50 overs. Hasan Mohsin top-scored for his side with 53. In return, Northern were bundled out for 175 in the 33rd over, giving Sindh a 92-run win. For Northern, Umair Masood top-scored with 69, while Nasir Nawaz chipped in with 46. For the winning side, Mustafa Nasir bagged five wickets for 43 runs and Mohammad Taha took three for 14. Central Punjab v Balochistan: In the third match of the fifth round, Balochistan after being asked to bat first were dismissed for 178 in the 41 overs at the Landhi Gymkhana Ground. Basit Ali scored 50 for Balochistan.

In return, Central Punjab lost eight wickets to achieve the 179-run target. Mohammad Saad returned undefeated on 53, while Bilawal Iqbal scored an unbeaten 30. The pair added an unbeaten 51 runs for the ninth wicket. For the losing side, left-arm spinner Zubair Khan took three wickets for 31 runs. Another left-arm spinner Jalat Khan took two for 48 from 10 overs.

Scores in brief:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Southern Punjab by five wickets: Southern Punjab 331-8, 50 overs (Waqar Hussain 130; Irfanullah Shah 3-65, Zeeshan Ahmed 2-44)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 334-5, 48.3 overs (Nabi Gul 101 not out, Israrullah 82, Rehan Afridi 59, Maaz Ahmed Sadaqat 46; Faisal Akram 3-54) Sindh beat Northern by 92 runs: Sindh 267-8, 50 overs (Hasan Mohsin 53, Rameez Aziz 48, Saad Baig 43; Waqas Ahmed 2-23, Farhan Shafiq 2-52, Saad Nasim 2-55) Northern 175 all out, 32.4 overs (Umair Masood 69, Nasir Nawaz 46; Mustafa Nasir 5-43, Mohammad Taha 3-14)

Central Punjab beat Balochistan by two wickets: Balochistan 178 all out, 41 overs (Basit Ali 50; Arham Nawab 2-35, Ahmed Safi Abdullah 2-37, Ali Asfand 2-40)

Central Punjab 180-8, 48 overs (Mohammad Saad 53 not out, Bilawal Iqbal 30 not out; Zubair Khan 3-31, Jalat Khan 2-48).